There are some great attractions for kids in Atlanta, from the fun rides of the Six Flags theme parks and the fascinating exhibits of the World of Coca-Cola Centre to the zoo and aquarium where education is mixed in with fun. There are also several parks in the city where facilities are aimed at families with kids.

Atlanta Zoo
Located near downtown, the Atlanta Zoo boasts the best collection of animals in the southeast with all sorts of colourful creatures from around the world. The zoo has its own mystery behind its conception with many believing that it started out when the owners of a travelling animal show went bust and fled Atlanta leaving their animals behind. One of the biggest attractions of the zoo today is the daily elephant demonstrations, the Chinese pandas and the monkey feedings.

Georgia Aquarium
The recently constructed Georgia Aquarium is one of the worlds biggest and is another great attraction for children in Atlanta. The tanks are gigantic, containing five million gallons of sea and fresh water and housing over 100,000 creatures across 500 species. The entertainment value of the aquarium is excellent and children will also learn a great deal about conservation.
Phone: +1 404 581 4000; website: www.georgiaaquarium.org

Six Flags American Adventure
The Six Flags theme parks are always popular with kids and there are a total of three parks dotted across the city. The American Adventure is perfect for families with smaller children while the other two (Whitewater Atlanta and Over Georgia) feature white-knuckle rides and other thrilling rides for older children and adults. Popular, laid-back rides at the Six Flags American Adventure include the Rio Grande Railroad, Main Street Bumper Cars, Treetop Swings and the Ridgeline Racer Coaster. Phone: +1 770 948 9290

Atlanta is a diverse city which boasts many cultural attractions for history buffs and for those who want to learn a bit more about the delightful Georgia capital. There are countless museums and galleries that cover the history and art of the city, while impressive landmarks include old churches and monuments.

Atlanta Contemporary Art Center
This impressive art gallery-come educational facility promotes contemporary art in the region through experimentation and features permanent and temporary exhibits. Visitors can discern quality works from local artists, national artists and other renowned artists from around the world. Phone: +1 404 688 1970

Atlanta History Center
The Atlanta History Center documents the history of Atlanta and Georgia through huge collections of photographs, books, newspapers, furnishings, maps, Civil War artefacts, and arts. The centre is situated on a huge plot of woodland where walking trails, gardens and a number of activities have also been set up, including sheep-shearing. There is also a very popular restaurant on site. It is worth calling before you plan a journey to the Atlanta History Center as festivals and other events alter the opening timetables.
Phone: +1 404 814 4000; website: www.atlantahistorycenter.com

Children's Museum of Atlanta
The Children's Museum of Atlanta is located in a large building next to the iconic Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta and is a great educational facility with some cleverly designed hands-on exhibits. There are four zones in one large room in the museum, which include: Let Your Creativity Flow, Fundamentally Food, Tools for Solutions and Leaping into Learning. An impressive digger and a banana slide are just two of the range of attractions.
Phone: +1 404 659 5437

High Museum of Art
Atlanta’s High Museum of Art can be found in the Midtown district of the city in a trendy, white building featuring curves and split levels. You will find both modern and classical art collections at the museum in several spacious galleries, with works by the likes of Picasso and Rockwell. The atrium is most impressive.
Phone: +1 404 733 4400

The King Center and Martin Luther King Jr National Historic Site
Located on Auburn Avenue in downtown Atlanta and established back in the late 1960s, the memorial of Martin Luther King Jr features an informative museum. It also preserves the neighbourhood that includes the great man’s home and the Ebenezer Baptist Church.
Phone: +1 404 526 8900; website: www.thekingcenter.org

Margaret Mitchell House and Museum
Margaret Mitchell, of ‘Gone with the Wind’ fame, spent about 10 years in this house while working on the famous novel and visitors can tour the museum and pay tribute to the author. Her life is well documented with a large number of fascinating artefacts.
Phone: +1 404 249 7012

St Philip's Cathedral
Located in the Buckhead area of town just to the north of downtown, St Philip's Cathedral is an impressive structure dating from the middle of the 19th century. It is one of Atlanta’s most historic and imposing landmarks with magnificently detailed architecture and an equally impressive interior. Features of the cathedral can be explored on a tour of the edifice.
Phone: +1 404 365 1000

Atlanta is home to over 400,000 people from all backgrounds and it has a diverse and burgeoning restaurant scene. All budgets and tastes are catered for with the all-American fare available at numerous venues as well as a slew of international restaurants, including many French, Italian, Spanish, and Mexican options.

The food in Atlanta is quite rich and most traditional dishes usually end up with some sort of tangy flavouring. Sugar or honey often gets poured over meat and vegetables and the deserts are very tempting. Pork chops stuffed with eggplant and andouille sausage is a popular Atlanta dish, accompanied by collard greens that are sautéed and seasoned with balsamic vinegar. Three very popular restaurants in Atlanta include The Colonnade, Mary Mac's Tearoom, and Thelma's Kitchen.

Restaurants are spread throughout the city from downtown through to Midtown and east Atlanta. Numerous eateries can be found in downtown, including the world's largest drive-in. The Midtown district is growing all the time and the many theatres which have been erected have also attracted a huge number of restaurants. Directly north of the city centre is Buckhead Village; another popular drinking and dining area, while east Atlanta, although a fair way out of town, boasts some great coffee houses and restaurants and is non-touristy to boot.

Shopping options in Atlanta are excellent as it is the main shopping destination for the southeast. There is a wide array of mega shopping malls loaded with chain stores, restaurants and cinemas. The shopping is extremely varied where fashionable boutiques rub shoulders with giant department stores and flea markets, making for great window shopping at the very least. Areas to take note of are The Miami Circle and Bennett Street, while the Buckhead area is bursting with quality and has been titled the 'Beverly Hills of the South'.

Atlanta is loaded with parks where all types of activities and picnic facilities are available. Golf is one of the favourite pastimes in Atlanta and there are many courses to choose from where visitors can even get a game without being invited as a guest. Spectator sports are especially popular here, including baseball, football, and basketball.

Baseball
As far as spectator sports go, Atlanta has them all, yet baseball is the big attraction owing to the four professional major league teams: the Braves, the Falcons, the Hawks, and the Thrashers. The Braves are the number one team in the city and although tickets are hard to get hold of, it is well worth booking ahead to catch a game whether you are a baseball fan or not.

Golf
Atlanta is surrounded by lots of space and great landscapes, meaning plenty of opportunity for golfing. Several golf courses have been laid out, some of which are open to visitors. The Alfred Tup Holmes 18-hole public golf course in the Buckhead area is reasonably priced and has great golfing facilities; phone: +1 404 753 6158. In the other direction, the Sugar Creek Golf Club in south Atlanta is a championship 18-holer and a cut above Alfred Tup Holmes, with perfect fairways and tough greens; phone: +1 404 241 7671

In-line Skating
Located to the northeast of town, Piedmont Park is ideal for in-line skating, with its many great trails and fantastic landscaping. You can rent skates from nearby Skate Escape on Twelfth Street, who also rent out bicycles and accessories. Hourly and daily rates are available on skates and bikes, while skateboards are also sold here. Phone: +1 404 892 1292

Parks
Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta was built for the 1996 Olympic Games and is a great place to relax or play, where picnic facilities, concerts and outdoor activities are all available. Many visitors come to see the Fountain of Rings; a collection of water fountains that shoot in the air to the sound of music. Stone Mountain Park is a few miles northeast of the city centre and is the biggest park within the Atlanta city limits. The choice of outdoor activities here is excellent, with canoeing, row-boating and sailing available in the large lake. Other activities include fishing, swimming, biking, hiking, golfing, and tennis. Phone: +1 770 498 5690